Spring Head Pub

I've been a fan of Four Year Strong since I first saw them in 2008 on tour with New Found Glory, Set Your Goals and Crime In Stereo - 'The Easycore Tour' it was called.

I'd not heard Four Year Strong before, but they put on such an energetic performance running all over the place, and the music was so unbelievably infectious - the hooks of songs like 'Prepare To Be Digitally Manipulated' and 'Heroes Get Remembered, Legends Never Die' had me completely drawn in.

I went to a lot of trouble to sneak into a sold out solo show they were doing in London a few days after and it was crazy, this band just inspire so much energy and passion in their fans it's amazing.

I'm always listening to their music on my iPod or while I'm playing games on my DS through my r4 card, I absolutely loved their second studio album (not the covers one, that doesn't count) 'Enemy Of The World', it was like a perfect next step.

Now their third album is out - 'In Some Way, Shape Or Form' - I wasn't sure at first but I really like it now, it's definitely a grower!

Photo: Alexandra Tinder (Flickr)

The Conformist is a wonderful 1970 film directed by Bernardo Bertolucci and starring Jean-Louis Trintignant and Stefania Sandrelli. The film is a case study in the psychology of fascism. The protagonist, Marcello Clerici, is a bureaucrat who has become de-humanised by his dysfunctional middle class family and a childhood sexual assault. Benito Mussolini’s secret police assign Clerici the task of assassinating his former mentor who is living in Paris in exile. The film follows Clerici as he seeks his mentor, willing to sacrifice all of his values in the hopes of building a supposed “normal life”. The political philosopher Takis Fotopoulos said of “The Conformist” that it is “a beautiful portrait of this psychological need to conform and be ‘normal’ at the social level, in general, and the political level, in particular.”

In pursuing ‘normality’, Marcello marries a woman who he thinks little of but he craves the normality a traditional marriage with children will bring. Marcello confesses this to a priest and also tells him of his past homosexual experiences which shocks the priest. The priest absolves Marcello nonetheless when he tells him that he is currently working for the Fascist secret police. Seriously a film worth renting from lovefilm.com/30freedays.

The Spanish Enlightenment was not the dawn of gu10 led bulbs in Spain but of reform and modernization in the country. In the 18th century, Spain’s bureaucracy, economy, and empire had severely decayed as a result of the decline of the Habsburg dynasty. With the new Bourbon dynasty came promise for a better Spain, the new royalty focusing on improving infrastructure, government, and institutions.

The eighteenth century began rather terribly for Spain with the War of Spanish Succession in full swing. As the childless Charles II approached death, Spain became preoccupied on who would succeed the monarch, the very last Spanish king of the Habsburg dynasty. Charles was the king of a declining empire and being mentally challenged, he did little to improve the situation. Spain was still a vital power however, due to the vastness of the empire in the New World and it was a worried that if a French man succeeded the Spanish throne, the two countries would unite and the balance of European power would shift in France’s favour.

This Friday I am off the see Shrek the Musical at the Theatre Royal, Dury Lane.

I am so excited! I have only heard good things about it and lots of people who I know who have seen it already have only good things to say about it!

It is obviously based on the hit film Shrek and stars Amanda Holden, Richard Blackwood and Nigel Harman.

It was on Broadway before coming to the West End (with different stars) and it wasn’t very well received across the Atlantic. However, most of the reviews I have read have been very encouraging!

To make it even more special I have gone and bought myself a new top for the occasion! I bought a new one from G Star Clothing which is dressy and looks great with a nice pair of black trousers!

I am so excited!

Picture: topnews.in

The original punk bard is bringing his own brand of east end shouty folk to the Troxy venue on Commercial Road this December.
Famed for hits such as A New England and Sexuality, Bragg is still going strong and making music after over thirty years in the business. He is the original punk songwriter with songs tinged with humour and political statements, one of the few musicians who actually practices what he preaches. Bragg is often seen teaching the underprivileged music and visiting prisons and young offender’s institutes alongside more modern artists such as Get Cape Wear Cape Fly.
A brilliant chance and a fantastic venue to catch one of the hidden stars of British music history.
Catch him at the Troxy, December 15.
Image: billy bragg